


Diplomatic Affairs

by msdisdain



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-04-05 21:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4195107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msdisdain/pseuds/msdisdain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Voyager made it home, and Chakotay's late to the party.</p>
<p><i>Very</i> late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diplomatic Affairs

She was going to kill Chakotay.

She contemplated his death as the night air blew gently over her upturned face, and lifted the glass of sparkling wine to her lips. The urge to drink the entirety of the liquid down in one swallow was almost overwhelming, but she forced herself to sip at it. _I could phaser him_ , she thought idly, one hand lifting to brush a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. _Neat. Quick. No suffering._

Did she want him to suffer?

The thought preoccupied her for several seconds before her mouth turned up slightly. _Maybe. A little._ There were more interesting ways to die, surely. Slow poison. The Doctor probably had something she could swipe. A well-executed series of bone breaks could cause internal bleeding; she could ask B'Elanna for some advice. Access the Klingon database. Tuvok was an expert on mind techniques; she was sure he would be more than willing to assist her.

Yes. Chakotay needed to suffer before she ended his life. He needed to first understand what he had done to her, and then he needed to suffer for it. Long, and hard. She was going to enjoy it-almost as much as she was enjoying thinking about it. She turned her face to the left and surveyed the crowd thoughtfully, wondering if she dared to do it publicly. Her reputation was in excellent standing at the moment. Surely one little murder couldn't do much to tarnish it. She was the galaxy's golden girl. If she committed a crime, most likely they'd sweep it under the rug.

She reached down with one graceful hand and gathered up the edge of her glittering dress. Draining the last of the wine from the glass, she headed off across the floor in search of the bar. Murder required her head to be a little less clear, and her nerve to be a little higher.

"Looking for me?"

_Chakotay._

She ignored the heat that flared up in her belly at the sound of his voice.

She turned slowly to face him, careful to keep her face as void of expression as she possibly could.

It wasn't easy.

Few people could look good in Starfleet dress uniform. Of course Chakotay would be one of them. _Hell, he'd look good in sackcloth,_ she thought irritably, the warm smile in his eyes just adding to her discomfort. "Actually, Commander, I was looking for the bar."

"Starting without me?" His voice was low, the smile in his eyes extending through his face, turning up the corners of his mouth, dimpling his cheeks. He reached out and took her empty glass, lifting it to his nose and sniffing. "Excellent choice, Captain."

Janeway raised an eyebrow and plucked her glass back out of his hand. "At least I made one good one this evening," she snapped. Chakotay threw back his head and laughed, which only increased her irritation. "And what the hell are you wearing, anyway?" she continued, giving his uniform a cursory glance. "This isn't a diplomatic affair."

"Everything else I have is up on Voyager, and I didn't think I should be later than I already was," Chakotay said with a quiet smile, taking her casually by the elbow and leading her across the floor towards the balcony. "If I didn't know you better, Kathryn, I'd think you were angry with me about something."

"That's ridiculous," Janeway bit out. "And the bar is that way."

"Time enough for everything later," he said, opening the double doors, ushering her through, and closing them firmly. "I'm sorry. The transport was late arriving and then made three unscheduled stops. I would have contacted you but you weren't in your room."

"I've spent the last two and a half hours being passed from Admiral to Admiral like a basket of bread, each one reaching in and pulling out a request for 'just one more Delta Quadrant story'. When I finally managed to escape from that, I was given the honor of listening to Neelix's plans to open a restaurant he plans to name 'Leola's' after our favorite vegetable." She ignored Chakotay's snort of laughter. "B'Elanna and Tom had an argument because Tom won't talk to his father yet and of course I happened to be nearby in the middle of it."

Chakotay stepped forward and took one of her hands, lifting it between them and kissing one of the fingers gently. "Then what did you do?"

Janeway closed her eyes at the touch of his lips, anticipating the familiar feelings of protest to wash over her and blinking in surprise when all she felt was a building desire. She opened her eyes again and met his evenly for a long moment before sighing. "I stood out here and contemplated exactly how I was going to kill you for making me suffer through this evening alone."

Chakotay's laugh had never sounded freer than at that very moment, and she marveled at the new ring to his voice. He looked-at peace? She could never remember seeing so much joy in his smile. And then, just as soon as the smile had flashed across his face it was gone, replaced by a tender look that she had never seen on his face before.

In his eyes. Yes. When he had been unable to mask it completely. But it had never been acknowledged, and until this moment, it had never shown itself completely. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to speak, but he was silent a long moment. Searching her eyes. Slowly he let go of her hand and raised both of his to her face, touching her hair lightly and tracing the outline of her chin.

"I'll never leave you alone again, Kathryn," he said, each word charged with more emotion than she had ever heard him express.

Tears burned her throat, stung her eyes as several emotions washed over her at once. Their parting after the Starfleet debriefing had been uncertain, though he had promised to meet her tonight at the celebratory party the Admiralty was throwing for the Voyager crew. When he hadn't shown up she had been worried: first, for his safety, and later, for what his absence might mean. Six years in the Delta Quadrant had brought them little more than loving friendship. She feared her assumption that their return to Earth would lead them to more, at last, was presumptuous. And wrong.

But he was here. And they were together. And the way his hands were caressing her face made her think...she wasn't wrong.

She blinked back the tears, failing to stop one from sliding down her cheek. Almost absently, he dipped his head and brushed it away with his lips. The sweetness of the gesture combined with the heat that shot through her at the touch had her breath catching and her cheeks flushing simultaneously. She reached up and laid her hands on top of his, stilling his movement. "I was hurt," she admitted. "I thought-"

"Don't ever think it again. That's an order."

Janeway smiled at that, raising an eyebrow. "I outrank you, Commander."

"Not once I tell the big shots out there that you were plotting my murder. They'll haul you off to the brig for sure."

"You'd better be nice to me, Chakotay; some of my ideas were pretty thorough."

Chakotay stepped closer, moving her backwards until they were pressed together against the rail. "Rest assured, Kathryn," he murmured, his lips close to her ear, "that my own ideas are pretty thorough, too. Especially since I've seen you in this dress."

Janeway's eyes closed briefly, reminding herself exactly where they were. _You waited six years, Kathryn,_ she reminded herself. "Maybe you should see me out of it." Her mouth snapped shut. _Did I say that?_

Chakotay let her go with an exhale that sounded more like a groan. "I guess you had six years to think up that line, Kathryn. I think it's an excellent idea." He walked quickly over to the door, opened it, and peeked out into the room. "'Fleet officers everywhere. We'll never get out of here."

Janeway smiled slyly, opening the little bag that dangled over her shoulder. Gold and silver glittered in the moonlight as she revealed a comm badge to his curious eyes. "Contingency plan," she said. "Everyone else is staying down here."

Comprehension lit his eyes. "But Voyager is still in orbit." She nodded, and he reached out for her hand. "I always knew I'd like this Kathryn Janeway," he grinned, a wicked light sparking his eyes.

Janeway tapped the comm badge and murmured her request.

When Paris and Torres opened the doors a minute later, the balcony was empty.


End file.
